ATEEZ and RIIZE won the Grand Record and Grand Performer trophies, respectively, at the 2026 Korea Grand Music Awards (2026 KGMA) 'Music Day'. The second day of the 3rd 2026 KGMA, held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul, was hosted by actor Kim Jae-won and IVE's Leeseo.

ATEEZ, Grand Record Winner for Second Consecutive Year — "We Will Walk Our Own Path"

ATEEZ became the winner of the Grand Record award for the second year in a row. Debuted in 2018, ATEEZ gained attention through overseas tours and powerful performances, continuing their growth after appearing on Mnet's 'Kingdom: Legendary War' in 2021. They topped the Billboard 200 chart with their 2nd full-length album in 2023 and 11th mini album in 2024, and 'Golden Hour: Part 5', released in June, recorded 1.88 million copies in first-week sales. The title track 'Bad' ranked high on domestic music charts, and their recently released pre-release song 'Drop' entered the Billboard Global 200.

In their acceptance speech, ATEEZ said, "The journey up to this moment has not been smooth. Thanks to those who believed in ATEEZ and loved our stages and music, we were able to stand here." They added, "We consider this award not as recognition of our past efforts but as a call to deliver even better music. ATEEZ will continue to walk our own path, true to who we are."

They continued, "We are happy that so many people recognize and love us these days. Knowing this did not happen overnight, every stage is precious and earnest to us. Thanks to ATINY, who have quietly supported us for the past eight years, we were able to receive this valuable award. We want the promised seven years to remain as good memories for ATINY. We will truly work hard."

RIIZE, Honored with Grand Performer — "We Will Return Next Year with a New Album"

RIIZE received the 2026 Grand Performer award. Debuted in 2023, RIIZE achieved their fourth million-seller with their 'emotional pop' genre, and their digital single 'Insomnia' reached No. 1 on China's QQ Music chart with 'Gold' certification. On the iTunes Top Songs chart, they entered the top 10 in eight regions.

After receiving the award, RIIZE said, "We never imagined we would receive such a big award, so we sincerely thank the KGMA. We are truly grateful to BRIIZE. These days, we feel BRIIZE's presence even more strongly." They added, "We will continue to show you many great stages. We will return next year with a new album."

ITZY and KIKI Jointly Win Grand Honors Choice

The 2026 Grand Honors Choice award was jointly won by ITZY and KIKY.

ITZY received a rookie award with their 2019 debut song 'DALLA DALLA' and renewed their contracts with their agency in September last year. In February, they successfully completed their third world tour 'Tunnel Vision' while balancing solo and group activities. ITZY said, "Thanks to so many people cheering us on this year, we were able to run hard. The year-end has already come, but thanks to you, we were able to make meaningful memories." They added, "Thank you for the love and attention. We will show you a cool side of ourselves next year as well. We will be an ITZY that works hard going forward."

KIKY entered the music scene last year with their debut song 'I DO ME' and released two albums this year, standing out on music charts. '404', the title track of their 2nd mini album released in January, topped the Melon Top 100 and the Circle Chart monthly chart, while 'Pop Off Pop Off', released in August, ranked No. 1 on Spotify's Korea chart and major Apple Music charts. KIKY said, "Thank you for giving us such a big and valuable award. Above all, we want to thank our members who are with us and TIKI, who always support us." They added, "It is because TIkis cheered for and loved us that we could receive this big award. We will continue to show you many great performances."

Winners by Category: Best Music, Group, Solo, and More

The Best Music category winners were RIIZE, Minho, Shownu X Hyungwon, IVE, AHOF, AlphaDriveOne, aespa, ATEEZ, NMIXX, WayV, ITZY, Choi Yena, KICKFLIP, KIKY, TOHEARTS, and HEART2HEARTS.

MONSTA X won Best Group, while Minho and Choi Yena won Best Solo. ITZY's Yuna won Best Solo Performance, BILLIE won Best Dance Performance, and the Best Stage award went to ATEEZ and KISS OF LIFE. Park Ji-hyun swept both the Best Trot Stage and Best Adult Contemporary categories. In addition, TOHEARTS won Best Fabulous, NEXTZ won Best Global K-pop Star, KIKY won Best Streaming Song, and AlphaDriveOne won the IS Rising Star award.

Notably, ITZY achieved a total of five wins: Grand Honors Choice, Best Music, Kugug Most Popular Award, Trend of the Year Female Solo, and Best Solo Performance.

The 2026 KGMA Marks Its Third Year

The 2026 KGMA, organized by Ilgan Sports and co-hosted by the KGMA Organizing Committee and Creatorring, marked its third year this year. The awards ceremony was held over two days on the 7th and 8th, with Young K, TREASURE, RECENAT, N.DOUBLE, and others receiving awards on the first day, 'Artist Day'.